On day one of the Tekken 8 tournament at Thaiger Uppercut 2026 in Thailand, 13-year-old Martinski beat a pro player.
His opponent was PINYA. Martinski described the result as one of the biggest wins of his career so far. That’s a career that began around the age most people were working through long division.
He did it in a big field. Thaiger Uppercut 2026 drew 187 players, including some of the best-known names in the scene.
The clip spread quickly
Footage of the match moved fast across social media. One post on X described it like this: “Martinski (nice haircut😄), a 12 yrs old boy from Philippines just beat pro player Pinya in tournament.” (The post gives his age as 12. Every other report on the story says 13.)
A lot of the replies were about his haircut. Many Tekken fans said he looks like Kazuya Mishima, and the resemblance is hard to miss once someone points it out.
Day one had a loss too
Martinski, who plays for Team ELITE, was open about how the day went. He lost to Lars of LMG MoB and wrote about that match in the same post as his win over PINYA.
“Day 1 of Thaiger Uppercut 2026 done! Had some tough matches today. Glad I was able to get a win against a tough opponent, Pinya. I also made a few mistakes in my match against LMG MoB’s Lars, which gives me something to work on,” Martinski said. “Time to regroup, come back stronger tomorrow, and hopefully make a good run on Day 2. Let’s go!”
He wasn’t eliminated by that defeat. Martinski is still in the tournament and returns for day two.
Kayane had already noticed him
Earlier this year, veteran player Kayane praised his play. Fighting game fans know that name well, so experienced players had their eye on him before the PINYA clip spread.
Singles wasn’t his only event in Thailand. He also placed ninth in the 3v3 team tournament alongside Magicyan and Blacklight.
Heading into day two, Martinski has a win over a pro, a loss to Lars where he says he made mistakes, and a ninth-place team result. He also has a haircut that a good share of the internet says belongs to Kazuya Mishima.